CVE-2017-8208 in Honor 5C
Summary
by MITRE
The driver of honor 5C,honor 6x Huawei smart phones with software of versions earlier than NEM-AL10C00B356, versions earlier than Berlin-L21HNC432B360 have a buffer overflow vulnerability due to the lack of parameter validation. An attacker tricks a user into installing a malicious APP which has the root privilege of the Android system, the APP can send a specific parameter to the driver of the smart phone, causing a system reboot or arbitrary code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/16/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-8208 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the kernel-level drivers of Huawei Honor 5C and Honor 6x smartphones. This vulnerability stems from insufficient parameter validation mechanisms within the device driver components that handle system-level operations. The affected devices operate with firmware versions prior to NEM-AL10C00B356 and Berlin-L21HNC432B360, creating a widespread impact across multiple device models and software configurations. The flaw exists in the driver subsystem that manages specific hardware functionalities, making it particularly dangerous as it operates at the kernel level where malicious code can gain elevated privileges.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a sophisticated social engineering attack vector where an attacker must convince a user to install a malicious application that has already gained root privileges within the Android operating system. This prerequisite demonstrates the layered nature of the attack, requiring initial compromise through either phishing, malicious app distribution, or other privilege escalation techniques. Once the malicious application is installed with root access, it can craft and transmit specifically formatted parameters directly to the vulnerable driver component. The buffer overflow occurs when these parameters exceed the allocated memory space, causing memory corruption that can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution or system instability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple system crashes or reboots, as it provides attackers with complete control over the affected devices. The ability to execute arbitrary code at the kernel level means that attackers can bypass all standard Android security mechanisms, including application sandboxing, permission models, and other runtime protections. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. The attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068, which covers local privilege escalation through kernel exploits, and T1059, covering command and scripting interpreters for execution.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate firmware updates from Huawei to address the underlying driver implementation flaws. System administrators and users should ensure all affected devices receive the latest security patches, particularly those addressing kernel-level driver vulnerabilities. Network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect anomalous parameter patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, though the attack requires pre-existing root access making detection challenging. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure coding practices in kernel drivers and emphasizes the need for comprehensive input validation, particularly in system-level components that handle untrusted data from user-space applications. Organizations should implement robust mobile device management policies that prevent installation of untrusted applications and maintain regular security assessments of mobile device firmware versions to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities before exploitation occurs.